EDGE: Explorer of Diffuse emission and Gamma-ray burst Explosions

Abstract

How structures on various scales formed and evolved from the early Universe up to present time is a fundamental question of astrophysical cosmology. EDGE will trace the cosmic history of the baryons from the early generations of massive star by Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) explosions, through the period of cluster formation, down to very low redshifts, when between a third and one half of the baryons are expected to reside in cosmic filaments undergoing gravitational collapse by dark matter (Warm Hot Intragalactic Medium: WHIM). In addition EDGE, with its unprecedented observational capabilities, will provide key results on several other topics. The science is feasible with a medium class mission using existing technology combined with innovative instrumental and observational capabilities on a single satellite by: a) observing with fast reaction Gamma-Ray Bursts with a high spectral resolution (R ~ 500). This enables the study of their (star-forming) environment from the Dark to the local Universe and the use of GRB as back light of large scale cosmological structures b) Observing and surveying extended sources (clusters, WHIM) with high sensitivity using two wide field of view X-ray telescopes (one with a high angular resolution and the other with a high spectral resolution).